I T IS time to take off our halo and face the grim reality of the cruelty that we as a society are piling on our children. The social girth of child abuse is ever expanding with violence engulfing children at home, in school and on the streets.
We must hasten in the direction illustrated by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (UK). Its purpose: Cruelty to children must stop. Political leaders must make children a priority in their first 100 days in office - a challenge that has been directed towards Gordon Brown, the new British Prime Minister.
The NGO movements to halt the exploitation of children are invariably hijacked by political agendas.
But for the first time, we have a special ministry for Women and Child Development headed by a bold and outspoken minister, Renuka Chowdhury, who seems to be moving in a positive direction despite encountering vicious roadblocks.
But what about the collective responsibility of society?
At all levels it is perpetuating cruelty to children in various forms. Abandoned and runaway children are filling India's 600 orphanages and remand homes. We are guilty of all four basic kinds of cruelty: physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and sexual abuse.
Hand-in-hand with our enviable economic growth, we are also leading in the number of child labourers - 50 million in India - according to UNICEF. Children are shamelessly employed in hazardous industries.
As per the National Labour Institute, India has 203 million children between five and 14 years. Of this, 116 million are in school, 12.6 million in fulltime employment and the status of 74 million is unknown.
The government has failed to impose compulsory birth registration procedures in remote and rural areas. As a result underage children are recruited in the defence forces and paramilitary services. Recruitment of child soldiers, particularly in Manipur, Nagaland and Assam, is rampant.
Preferred domestic servants are in their early teens - between 12 years and 15 years. They are included among the 15 million bonded child labourers, with this bondage being passed on from one generation to the next.
It is ironic that India is a signatory to the UN Convention on Rights of the Child, and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention 1999.
About five lakh children older than seven years are prostitutes. Their life expectancy is about 30 years, most being lost to disease, death and malnutrition. Child trafficking is a lucrative business and largely controlled by crime lords.
Indian children as young as two are trafficked to the UAE as camel jockeys, most of whom die. Coupled with regular demand, the dark world of sex tourism preys on children.
Child abuse is prevalent in all strata of society, even when the parents may be exceptionally wealthy and educated. Up to 64 per cent of sexual abuse cases are committed in affluent households and about 29 per cent in middle-class homes. Foetal infanticide and battered baby syndrome are common.
To some extent, the decline of the joint-family system, which provided the child with alternative security havens, is guilty for the increase in child abuse. The UN and international NGOs denote that adequate education and alleviation of poverty are the panacea for cruelty. This is true to a great extent but then one wonders why cruelty is rampant in affluent homes.
Violence perpetrated in schools by teachers or fellow students subject the child to dishonour and humiliation and are often serious enough to lead to permanent damage.
The training of teachers has many lacunae. These need to be corrected. Teachers must realise mentoring is an insepera ble part of academic instruction.
"A child is more than a test score," said American Senator Hilary Clinton. School curriculums must be reworked so that tests don't become the syllabus.
WHO reports that four million children die because of eco-hazards that are further compounded by anemia and malnutrition. These deaths are entirely preventable.
We proudly proclaim that children are our citizens of tomorrow. Where is our national pride when we so casually and nonchalantly abuse and mistreat them?
There needs to be exhaustive lobbying for children's rights. Secure and humane conditions must be created for the child in every environment that she is exposed to. One must deal with a child's problem instead of attacking the child, bearing in mind that a child cannot reason like an adult.
The importance of timely intervention cannot be over-emphasised. This could be the gossamer string between life and death for a child. Regular visits by social workers and psychologists to suspect homes and all schools is necessary .
The Social Welfare Board makes it mandatory to employ full-time social workers in orphanages who counsel and maintain a record of each inmate. This system must be extended to include every school in the country .
The government must step in and realise that it is of optimum importance to provide a safe and secure haven where children can go and complain about any incidence of abuse.
Counselling centres must be set up in cities and villages not just for children but also for parents and teachers. These centres must be professionally managed. Special attention must be given to issues pertaining to physically and mentally challenged children and specific laws enacted for their protection and care.
The media has highlighted the plight of migrant children in Jammu but the government is sweeping this crime under the carpet. We must shake the government out of its lethargy by agitating through forums against this injustice.
Laws for appropriate punish ment to child abusers are sorely lacking, with the result that the criminal is let off with or without even a light sentence and roams freely .
The draft of a new Protection of Child Rights Bill has just been approved by the Women and Child Development Ministry and is being presented during the ensuing Monsoon Session of Parliament for cabinet approval. The exact contents of this draft bill are not known.
When such bills are formulated it is essential to include representatives from the ministries of Women and Child development, Health, Law, Home Affairs, Education, pediatricians, psychiatrists, forensic pathologists, sociologists and social workers. The bill must be comprehensive.
In high-rise apartments in cities, residents lead a fairly private lifestyle where even immediate neighbours keep to themselves. This non-intrusive lifestyle is also noticeable in other housing areas.
When you notice that child abuse is prevalent in your neighbourhood, change your attitude, take charge and dial 10-9-8 for CHILDLINE, which is a 24-hour free emergency phone. Also try www.childlineindia.org.in; their phone numbers are 022-23881098, 23871098, 23841098. You can save a life.
A brainstorming debate needs to be initiated on the subject of child abuse. It is not enough to hold opinion sessions in drawingroom settings. Provoke it at all levels - government, educational institutions, homes, on permitted street corners, beaches, wherever. The cause of children is the cause of human survival.
Megha Patil works with underprivileged children
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
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